Cash indicator and register



( No Model.)

G. KNAPP & C. H. LITTLE.

CASH INDICATOR AND REGISTER.

No. 481,037. Patented Aug. 16, 1892.

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WITNESSES- I INVENTEJRS.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GARDNER KNAPP, OF SOMERVILLE, AND CHARLES H. LITTLE, OF CHELSEA,MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS, RY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE BOSTON CASHREGISTER COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

CASH INDICATOR AND REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,037, dated August16, 1892.

Application filed November 20, 1888. Serial No. 291,412. (No model.)

To all whom it y 00711067771! zontal section of a part of the stop-caseBe it known that we, GARDNER KNAPP, rethrough the centers of the stopsand a plan siding at Somerville, in the county of Midof some stops andof a stop-separator in a dlesex, and CHARLES H. LITTLE, residing atraised position; Fig. 9, a plan of the parts Chelsea, in the county ofSuffolk, State of shown in Fig. 8, the stops shown in Figs. 8 55Massachusetts, citizens of the United States, and 9 being represented asdisks.

have invented a certain new and useful Im- The case A, drawer l3, anddrawer-opening provement in Cash-Registers and other Maspring C are ormay be of any usual conchines, of which the following is aspecificastruction.

I0 tion. The signals D, supported upon the vertical 60 Our inventionrelates to cash-registers and signal -rods (Z and bearing numberscorreother machines such as are operated by the sponding to numbers onthe front ends orbutdepression of keys or pivoted levers; and it tons7.: of the keys K, and the keys K, having consists in the meanshereinafter described their fulcrums upon a horizontal rod 70, are

and-claimed for preventing the simultaneor may be substantially as shownin United 65 ous depression of more than onekey at a time. StatesLetters Patent N 0. 370,363, granted In the accompanying drawings,Figure] is a September 20, 1837, to Jerome J. \Vebster for verticalcentral section from front to back of improvement in cash indicator andregister, so much of a cash-register with our improveexcept that the keyis provided with a stopment applied thereto as is necessary for theseparator I, hereinafter described. 7o understanding of saidimprovement; Fig. 2, It will be understood that the parts above ahorizontal cross-section of the stop'casc, mentioned are intended to beused with regor case which contains the stops, in the planeistering-whcels and mechanism for operating of the axis of said stopsand a plan of the said registering-wheels by the depression of stops andsprings. Fig. 3 is a section of the said keys; but such registeringdevices form 75 stop-case like that shown in Fig. 2, omitting no part ofthe presentinvention and are therethe springs and showing the stops, andalso fore not shown in the drawings and need no one of the keys partlydepressed and in secdescription. It is sufficient for the present tionin the same plane as the section of the purpose to say that anywell-known registerstop-case and showing a stop-separator or the ingdevices adapted to be operated bythede- 80 part of a key which passesbetween the stops pression of the keys may be used in connecin plan;Fig. ,4, a front elevation of two adtion with the parts shown-as, forinstance, jacent stops and of the stop-separator raised the registeringdevices shown in said patent and a vertical section in the axis of saidstops to 'Webster.

of a part of the stop-case, the stops in the In carrying out ourinvention we prefer to 85 above-mentioned figures being representedprovide each key K with a stop-separator I, as round-ended cylinders;Fig. 5, a vertical the same being substantially an arc-shaped section ofa part of the stop-case through the piece having its center of eurvature in the axis centers of the stops and a front elevation of of thefulcrum-rod 713', on which the key turns,

40 some stops and of a stop-separatorin a raised and having a uniformthickness laterally, 90 position between two of said stops; Fig. (3, aexcept that the upper edge z' of said stop-sephorizontal section of thestop-case through arator is wedge-shaped, as shown in Figs. 3 thecenters of the stops and a plan of some to 9. The stop-separator isconnected to the stops and of a stop-separator in the position key K bya web or upward extension i,

shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7, aside elevation of one which reaches from therear part of the up- 5 of the stops and of part of a stop-separator inper edge of said separator to said key, the sepits normal position (notraised) anda vertical arator, web, and key being preferably castiusection of the stop-case on the line x a; in one piece. The stop-easeJconsists, substan- Figs. 5 and 6, the stops in Fig. 5 to 7beingreptially, of a tube provided with feet j, by means resented as balls orspheres; Fig. 8, a horiof which it is secured to the table horizontalI00 portion a of the case A by means of screws passing throughscrew-holes j in said feet. The stop-case J is arranged at right anglesto the keys and parallel with the fulcrum-rod k. The stop-case J isprovided with as many vertical slots as there are keys, arranged atequal intervals with said keys, these slots being on the back of thecase and extending through the horizontal opening or bore of said case.The case is so arranged that the slots 9' allow the stop-separators topass upward through them when the keys are depressed, so that were itnot for the stops L described below all the keys might be depressedsimultaneously, each stop-separator passing up through one of the slotsj The stops L (shown in Figs. 2 and 4) consist of short cylinders havinga sufficient diameter to fit the horizontal bore of the case 7' with asliding fit and each having pointed or rounded ends Z, the aggregatelength of all the cylinders being shorter than the inside length of saidstop-casethat is, the length between the outer sides of the slotsnearest the ends of the case by just the lateral thickness of a singlestop-separator, so that the depression of any key will by pushing thestops aside close all the intervals between the stops, except the oneoccupied by the stop-separator first raised, and thereby prevent anyother stop-separator from being raised, or, in other words, prevent thedepression of any other key.

Balls L may be used in place of the stopoylinders L in precisely thesame way as said stop-cylinders if the central opening or bore of thestop-case be made of sufficient diameter, as shown in Fig. 5, the ballsrolling instead of sliding. Obviously disks Z as shown in Fig. 6, may beused to eltectthe same purpose as the cylinders and balls above referredto, the disks being arranged to roll in a suitable case and in the sameplane with each other. In any form of the stops it is necessary that thecombined length of the stops taken on a horizontal line through thecenters of the stops should be less than the inside length of the caseby an amount equal to the lateral thickness of the stop-separator, It isalso apparent that the stops may be arranged above the rear arms of thekeys or under the front arms of the keys and operate upon and beoperated upon by said arms directly, said arms in that case beingproperly shaped to separate the stops.

The stops above described may be used with any series of keys, where,for any reason, it is desired to prevent the simultaneous operation byaccident or intention of two keys of the same group, but will be foundto be especially useful in machines where the simultaneous depression oftwo keys will operate the machine to an extent not greater than is dueto the depression of one of said keys. The number of stops required isequal to the number of spaces between the keys of the group, the partsmarked Z 1n Fig. 2, although resembling in form the stops L, not servingas stops, but merely as followers impelled by springs Z to hold thestops proper in contact with each other when no key is depressed and tobring the points of contact of the adjacent stops in the center of theslots j The parts Z in Fig. 3 likewise do not serve as stops, but merelyfill the ends of the opening in the case and prevent the stops fromreaching entirely across the slots 3 1t being more convenient in formingthe stopcase of cast metal to drill it entirely through from end to endto receive the stops.

WVe claim as our invention 1. In a register, the combination, with twoadjacent movable parts, as keys, of an arrester consisting of a rollingpiece or body of a diameter greater than the space in the parts betweenthe keys and a channel or holder for receiving and guiding such rollingarresterbody, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a series of keys, a tube or stop-case arranged atright angles with said keys and provided with a number of slots equal tothe number of said keys, and a series of stops capable of rolling insaid stop-case and arranged side by side within the same, the length ofthe combined diameters of said stops being less than the interior lengthof said case by the transverse thickness of said key when the same inbeing depressed strikes said stops, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a series of keys, each provided with a stopseparator having a uniform thickness laterally, a tube or stop-casearranged at right angles with said keys and provided with a number ofslots equal to the number of said keys, each of said slots being adaptedto admit one of said keys, and a series of stops capable of rolling insaid stopcase and arranged side by side within the same, the length ofthe combined diameters of said stops being less than the interior lengthof said case by an amount as great as the transverse thickness of astop-separator, substantially as described.

4. In a cash registerand indicator, the combination of theoperating-keys and the stops made in the form of balls and arranged tooperate substantially as described.

5. In a cash register and indicator, the combination of theoperating-keys provided with extensions and the stops made in the formof balls, substantially as described.

In witness whereof we have signed this specification, in the presence oftwo attesting witnesses, this 12th day of November, A. D. 1888.

GARDNER KNAPP. CHARLES H. LITTLE. Witnesses:

SAM. H. LIBBY, JEROME J. WEBsTER.

ITO

